NFL-PACKERS/FALCONS
Packers take huge lead, hold off Falcons
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) β The Green Bay Packers came close to blowing a 31-7 halftime lead before they maintained their one-game lead in the NFC North.
Eddie Lacy ran for a touchdown and caught one of Aaron Rodgers’ three TD passes as the Packers held off Atlanta 43-37. Jordy Nelson had the Packers’ other scoring grabs, including a 60-yard catch that put Green Bay ahead 40-24 with about 10 Β½ minutes left. Nelson had eight receptions for 146 yards, and Lacy finished with 73 yards on 13 carries.
Rodgers was 24 of 36 for 327 yards as the 10-3 Packers won their fifth in a row to stay a game ahead of the Detroit Lions.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw three of his four scoring passes in the fourth quarter to make the game interesting. Ryan had 375 yards and one interception for Atlanta, which remains in a virtual first-place tie with New Orleans in the NFC South at 5-8.
Julio Jones had a career-best 259 yards receiving for the Falcons before leaving with a hip injury.
NFL-CHIEFS-BERRY
Chiefs Berry has cancer
UNDATED (AP) β Chiefs safety Eric Berry has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and will begin chemotherapy for what doctors called a “very treatable and potentially curable” form of cancer.
Berry had been undergoing tests at Emory University in Atlanta since an MRI exam nearly two weeks ago showed a mass on the right side of his chest. At the time, doctors were still uncertain whether the mass was cancerous.
Also in the NFL:
β The Tennessee Titans say they are aware police are investigating a sexual assault allegation involving defensive lineman Sammie Hill. An Atlanta Police Department spokesman wrote in an email that a woman told police she had been sexually assaulted by Hill, and that they are working with the woman for more information.
β Bears star receiver Brandon Marshall has been placed on season-ending injured reserve after breaking two ribs and hurting his lung in Thursday’s loss to Dallas. The five-time Pro Bowl receiver was hit in the right side by the knee of Dallas defensive back Barry Church after making a catch.
β Miami safety Louis Delmas is going on season-ending injured reserve after hurting his right knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Baltimore. He started 12 games this year, made 61 tackles and scored on an interception return.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-HEISMAN FINALISTS
Mariota, Cooper, Gordon are Heisman finalists
NEW YORK (AP) β Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah), Alabama receiver Amari Cooper and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon have earned a trip to New York this week. They’ll also find out Saturday night if they have won the Heisman Trophy.
Mariota is one of the three finalists and is considered the clear front-runner after leading the Ducks to a berth in the semifinals. He is the nation’s top-rated passer and has thrown for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also ran for 669 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Pac-12 champions.
Cooper helped Alabama earn the top seed in the playoff. He set a Southeastern Conference record with 115 catches for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns for the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
Gordon led the nation with 2,336 yards rushing and 26 rushing touchdowns.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-COACHES
New pact for one coach and unemployment for another
UNDATED (AP) β Tennessee is giving football coach Butch Jones a two-year contract extension and a raise that will pay him $3.6 million a season. The new contract will run through the 2020 season. Jones has an 11-13 record in two seasons at Tennessee and has dramatically improved the Vols’ recruiting.
β The University of Houston has fired football coach Tony Levine after three years at the helm. The university said in a statement that defensive coordinator David Gibbs has been named interim coach as the Cougars prepare for a Jan. 2 matchup against Pittsburgh in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Levine had a 21-17 record and back-to-back 5-3 showings in the American Athletic Conference. He had signed a new five-year contract in May.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-GRADUATION RATES
Gap narrowing in grad rates of black and white players on bowl-bound schools
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) β A study of this year’s bowl-bound schools released Monday reveals a narrowing gap between the graduation rates of white and African-American players.
According to the annual report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, the average graduation success rate for black football players at bowl schools is 67 percent compared to 85 percent for whites. The 18-point gap is the smallest in the study’s history.
All bowl-bound schools also received a score higher than 930 β equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate β in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Players wear “I Can’t Breathe” shirts before Nets-Cavs game
NEW YORK (AP) β The Prince watched the King in Brooklyn on Monday night.
Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate, sat courtside in the second half while LeBron James completed his 18-point, seven-assist performance in Cleveland’s 110-88 win over the Nets. James registered half his points while the Cavs outscored the Nets 35-18 in the third quarter.
Dion Waiters had a team-high 26 points and Kevin Love added 19 in the Cavaliers’ seventh consecutive win.
William and Kate took their seats midway through the third period after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. James’ game picked up once the royal couple moved to the front row.
There was news coming out of pregame warmups as well. James, Kyrie Irving and four Nets players wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts as they warmed up. Players wore the shirts in support of the family of Eric Garner, who died July 17 after a police officer placed him in a chokehold.
In Monday’s other NBA action:
β Golden State is a league-best 18-2 after stretching its team-record winning streak to 13 games. Stephen (STEH’-fehn) Curry missed six of his seven 3-point attempts but still finished with 21 points and seven assists in the Warriors’ 102-86 win at Minnesota. Klay Thompson also scored 21 points and helped the Warriors hold the Timberwolves to 36 percent shooting.
β Blake Griffin capped his 45-point outburst by hitting a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Clippers their eighth consecutive win, 121-120 over Phoenix. Chris Paul contributed 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to the win.
β Lou Williams poured in 26 points and Jonas Valanciunas (YOH’-nuhs val-ehn-CHOO’-nuhs) added 18 and 12 rebounds to lead Toronto past Denver 112-107 in overtime. Kyle Lowry had 13 points and 13 assists for the Raptors, who trailed by five points in OT but got a tying 3-pointer from Patrick Patterson with 28 seconds left.
β Atlanta ran its winning streak to seven games as Al Horford scored 25 points and Jeff Teague added 21 in the Hawks’ 108-92 victory at Indianapolis. Kyle Korver had 13 points for the Southeast Division co-leaders.
β Washington still owns a share of the Southeast Division lead after John Wall scored the Wizards’ final 10 points, including a go-ahead 3-point play in the final minute of a 133-132 double-overtime win against Boston. Wall finished with 26 points, 17 assists and seven rebounds, while Paul Pierce added a team-high 28 points against his former club.
β Utah was a 101-92 winner over Utah behind Rudy Gay’s 29 points. Darren Collison delivered 16 points and rookie Nik Stauskas set season highs with 15 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench.
MLB-NEWS
Indians get Moss from A’s
UNDATED (AP) β The Indians have acquired first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss from the Oakland Athletics for minor league infielder Joey Wendle.
The 31-year-old Moss batted .234 with a 25 homers and 81 RBIs in a career-high 147 games for the A’s. He hit .268 with 21 homers in the first half of the season to earn his first All-Star selection, but a nagging hip problem cut into his production over the final months.
In other major league news:
β Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas and the Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized a $68.5 million, six-year contract. The 24-year old Tomas hit .375 for Cuba with two homers and five RBIs in last year’s World Baseball Classic.
β A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that right-hander Jason Hammel has agreed to a $20 million, two-year contract to return to the Chicago Cubs. The 32-year-old was 8-5 with a 2.98 earned run average in 17 starts for the Cubs before he was traded to Oakland in July. He went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA for the Athletics.
β The baseball Hall of Fame’s Golden Era committee failed to elect any of the 10 candidates from a group whose primary contributions were from 1947-72. Dick Allen and Tony Oliva (oh-LEE’-vah) each received 11 of 16 votes, one shy of the 75 percent needed for election. Jim Kaat (kaht) appeared on 10 ballots, Maury Wills nine and Minnie Minoso eight.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-POLLS
Wildcats, Gamecocks top hoops polls
UNDATED (AP) β Kentucky is the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
The Wildcats claimed all 64 first-place votes after improving to 9-0, including a win against then No. 7 Texas.
Duke is second, followed by Arizona, Louisville and Wisconsin. The Badgers had been getting some first-place votes before their 80-70 loss to Duke last week.
Virginia, Villanova, Texas, Gonzaga and Kansas round out the top 10.
South Carolina remains the No. 1 team in the AP women’s poll after claiming 23 of 34 first-place votes. Connecticut is second, ahead of Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-T25 SCHEDULE
Butler, Miami cruise
UNDATED (AP) β There were just two top-25 men’s basketball teams in action on Monday, and both won with ease.
Roosevelt Jones scored 14 of his 19 points while 15th-ranked Butler was building a 52-27 halftime lead in a 93-51 thrashing of Kennesaw State. Kelan Martin had 17 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 64 percent in the first half.
Angel Rodriguez scored 17 points and No. 20 Miami rebounded from its first loss of the season by routing Savannah State 70-39. The Hurricanes never trailed and increased an 11-point halftime lead with a 13-2 spurt in the opening 6:39 of the second half.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Rangers blew late lead, win anyway
UNDATED (AP) β The New York Rangers managed to end a two-game losing streak despite coughing up a two-goal lead late in the third period.
Kevin Klein scored at 3:45 of overtime to lift the Rangers past the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Rick Nash scored his team-high 18th goal to snap a 1-1 deadlock, and Kevin Hayes appeared to ice the victory by tallying with 7:02 remaining. But the Pens forced overtime on goals by Evgeni Malkin and Steve Downie 24 seconds apart, less than three minutes after Hayes’ goal.
The Penguins’ rally allowed them to regain the Metropolitan Division lead, one point ahead of the New York Islanders.
Also on ice:
β Scott Gomez picked up his first two points since rejoining the Devils last week, setting up goals by Jaromir Jagr (YAH’-roh-meer YAH’-gur) and Adam Henrique (hehn-REEK’) in a 2-1 win over Carolina. Cory Schneider preserved New Jersey’s second victory in eight games by making 17 of his 39 saves in the third period.
β St. Louis blew a 2-0 lead before Chris Porter scored the go-ahead goal with 1:54 remaining in the Blues’ 4-2 verdict over Florida. Maxim Lapierre (lah-pee-EHR’), Ian Cole and Paul Stastny (STAS’-nee) also scored in the Blues’ second straight win.
NHL-SENATORS
Sens can coach
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) β Head coach Paul MacLean has been fired by the Ottawa Senators after an 11-11-5 start to the season.
Assistant Dave Cameron has replaced him and will make his head coaching debut Thursday night when the Senators host Los Angeles. General manager Bryan Murray says he made the move after sensing an “uneasiness” in the locker room. After making the post-season in MacLean’s first two seasons the club missed the playoffs last season.
NHL-SUSPENSION
Jets forward suspended
NEW YORK (AP) β The NHL has given Winnipeg forward Evander Kane a two-game suspension for boarding Anaheim defenseman Clayton Stoner during the Jets’ 4-3 loss on Sunday. Kane was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct on the play and will miss games Tuesday in Dallas and Thursday at Colorado. He is eligible to return Saturday against the Ducks.
NHL-BETTMAN/LAS VEGAS
Bettman says business looking into possible team for Las Vegas
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) β NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has confirmed that the Board of Governors had no objection to billionaire businessman William Foley exploring the level of interest in an expansion team coming to Las Vegas.
Bettman was adamant that nothing more should be read into the league’s consideration of Foley’s request in terms of any advancement in expansion discussions. He explained that the interest from Foley and Las Vegas raised questions about the viability of that market being able to support a team, which is why Foley wants to conduct a season ticket drive and see what kind of numbers are achieved.
